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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · charge · bear · season · band · bass · net · court

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. band — a ring
  4. bass — the fish
  5. charge — in control
  6. bound — obliged
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — for catching
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a music group
  16. court — for sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — of law
  21. net — in sport
  22. charge — electricity
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com